Enlighten My Darkness: The Consequence
by BettyBest2
Summary: Estarossa had a role in Gelda fearing rejection and Zeldris intends to make him pay for it. But in attempting to confront Estarossa oddities begin springing up: Something's wrong with Zaneta and someone's after the pregnant Elizabeth. And when disaster strikes leaving many broken people in its wake, who will be the one ultimately behind it all?
1. Chapter 1

As written on my profile, this is an incomplete work I'm posting. You can go there to see the entire explanation.

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 **~1~**

She's been summoned to a meeting with the King of Vampires. Her father wishes to see her, to speak with her, and if the tight feeling in her gut has any say, this meeting won't be a good one.

Life had been peaceful albeit hectic since she'd been exonerated from the crimes pinned to her by the former goddess, Veronica. She'd already been accepted in the demonic realm as a welcomed creature of darkness before the incident with Veronica had arose. That and she was the assumed partner of the esteemed high ranking knight, Lord Zeldris. So Gelda was rather surprised and wholly pleased to discover even after it was thought her to be behind the attacks against the demons, none seemed to hold it against her. In fact, they appeared to be somehow more taken with her.

Perhaps their affinity to deleterious drama has a heavy hand in the matter.

The main cause for the more hectic turn in their lives though was the fast arrival of baby Zaneta. Zeldris was still the same and yet wonderfully different in his treatment towards Gelda. His words were still firm, rough, and commanding, but his arms around her were always loving, his eyes full of passion and promise. He held no qualms in holding her at night if her hormones sent her into a crying fit or going out to gather her a number of humans even if he was weighed down by his duties as the lead Commandment.

But when their tiny little girl finally came into their lives, no one was to doubt his devotion. His words had said it all then as he'd held his newborn daughter like she was a miracle that would vanish if he wasn't careful enough.

 _"_ _You both are mine…. And I hope to never lose you."_

Gelda gazes down at her daughter swaddled in soft blankets in her arms and feels herself fall in love all over again with her tiny features, her porcelain skin dusted lightly with the flush of life like her mother's, and the ebony shock of hair that cradles her face. Gelda loves her hair the most as it reminds her of Zeldris, the way Zaneta's bangs and a cute tuft of hair at the top of her head absolutely refuses listen to the laws of gravity despite the rest of her hair being straight and manageable. Gelda takes comfort in the sight of her daughter and the hope that her father will fall in love with Zaneta as well as so many others have already, before focusing on her walk ahead.

The darkened halls of Edinburgh surrounds her, stretching on ominously despite the many sconces that light the way. It's simply the eerie feeling that sinks into her being, filling her mind with the absolute worst as she passes vampire after vampire, none of which seem to acknowledge her presence. It's also because she decided to come alone, not that Zeldris wouldn't have come with her had he known. She couldn't bear to impede on his mission to acquire the loyalties of a high ranking kingdom in the south of Britannia. Besides, this was something she felt she could handle alone and leaving Zaneta behind was an impossibility with the baby needing to be fed quite often still.

Her frantic thoughts all halt then silence, leaving her mind blank the moment she reaches the two large doors that separate her from her father. Gelda inhales shakily before raising a hand to tighten her daughter's swaddle, casting a last glance at her formal attire that weighs around her legs as well. Then she gives a nod to the two guards beside the door who immediately push them open and announce her presence.

"Princess Gelda has arrived, Sire."

She hardly sees the two guards who take up posts in far corners across from each other in the room as she strides in poised steps to stand before her father and King. Before curtseying as best as she can with a baby in her arms, she takes note of the way he still looks the same. Tall, corded in bulky muscles, his hair dark, wild and falling around his chest and shoulders. Even the maniacal burn of his eyes still curdles her stomach the same way. He's the exact brute he always was. His care for her being more about power and control than anything.

"Rise," is his curt rumble of a greeting to her.

She ignores the slight burn that began to make itself known in her muscles and straightens. With a steadying breath she focuses her crystal blue eyes onto the powerful being before her. "You wished to see me?" If he wishes to be cool with her, she'll show the exact same indifference in return. Even if her bravado is mostly for show and gives nothing away to the stuttering beats of her heart.

Izraf's dark gaze pierces right through her. Her play at bravery means nothing to him if the biting smirk on his face is anything to go by. "I see you brought the abomination with you."

 _'_ _Abomination…?'_ Gelda's jaw slackens as her heart bursts into double time drowning her hearing in a momentary roar. Zaneta squirms in her arms. "My baby… You think she's—"

"Of course I do!" Her father cuts in before she can even begin to comprehend the emotions that are beginning to sear through her veins. "That thing should have never come into existence."

 _'_ _Abomination. Thing. Never come into existence.'_ The words stampede through her mind over and over in sick mockery, demeaning her precious daughter that had every right to be here. Her daughter that should never have been hidden. Zaneta who her father loves dearly. Again her mind falls into abrupt silence, the words vanishing like the tail end of whispered wind, and it becomes so _clear_ to Gelda that the thing that was starting to poison her mind was sheer, unbridled _rage._

A sweet misleading smile comes to her face as she closes her eyes briefly, holding her little one closer to ease her fussing. "And why is that father? I thought you wanted me to marry a powerful suitor and bear his children? I do apologize that it's happened out of order, but Lord Zeldris and I are soon to be wedded, I assure you."

She knows it's about to happens seconds before it does which is why she places a hand against Zaneta's ear and presses the side of the little girl's head close to her mother's heart. Izraf sends his fists crashing into the armrests of his throne smashing them with thunderous precision in his rise to his full height. "No daughter of mine is marrying demonic filth! I won't have it!"

Gelda's eyes gain an icy edge. "He is anything but! He is a Prince and the leader of the Ten Commandments! I couldn't have picked a better man as a life partner and I won't let you tell me otherwise _father._ "

Their eyes, light and dark, clash and hold for terse long moments. Never before has Gelda challenged her father in such a way. Never has she felt so sure of herself and her ability to handle the situation.

"I'm afraid you leave me with no choice then my daughter." As she watches his hand raise slowly in lieu of a signal, she realizes something else.

 _"_ _Seize her!"_

Never before has she regretted coming alone.

Her insides lurch jarringly within her as she spins to face the coming threat. Zaneta's wailing in her arms, despite Gelda having done her best to block the explosive sound her father created that nearly shook the room. Soothing her baby can't be her priority right now. Not with the armored men stalking towards her and no doubt more coming this way.

As she shakily takes a step backwards, the horrifying thought of the other Royal Vampires arriving promptly has her back straightening and her eyes focusing sharply. No, she'll be long gone before they arrive. She won't let anyone lay a hand on herself or her daughter. Buckling under fear can't happen this time.

So the moment she sees the signs of the guards' bodies tensing in preparation of a lunge, Gelda feels a cool sensation begin to unfurl from around her heart. It swells and builds until she can feel it snaking along her skin, the power to enchant, _the power of temptation._ It sparks like blue alluring flashes in her eyes, the power her father cursed her with many years ago, but she uses it now to live, to defy him right under his nose. With nimble fingers she tugs the tie keeping her hair together, and the energy running freely through her, charged and thrilling flourishes around her, wafting through her tresses and pulling words from her throat.

 _"_ _Stop!"_

The guards hesitant to do as she says, their figures twitching with uncertainty that's quickly unraveling the longer she remains silent. She has to make this quick in the shock of her upsurge of power, otherwise her father with strike her down himself.

She takes slow, almost languid strides forward, slipping into an elegant, seductive sway as she gazes at her targets with eyes befitting of a predator. "What is it you want?" She makes her voice a low, charming purr, while subtly pulling Zaneta closer into her chest allowing the quieting child to cling as she wishes. "Wealth, power? ...A warm body to find pleasure in?" Sultry laughter leaves her for a moment. Rumbling, tempting. "I'll give you whatever you want in exchange for safe passage from this castle."

The guards make the mistake of meeting her eyes.

"You incompetent fools! What are you doing!?" And like that her time is up. The ground trembles with the ferocity of her father's charge for her.

The two guards though practically leap to her defense, giving her and her now racing heart a chance to dash for the door with clacking heels announcing her every move. She only has one hand to shove the doors open and once through them, the heavy wet splatters of the guards' demise follows after her.

It only takes a few clumsy missteps in her heels to decide to abandon them in rushed kicks, one shoe flying off and managing to nail an oncoming guard turning a corner blindly. Now with bare feet slapping on the stone floors and her squirming daughter held securely, Gelda sweeps her eyes no longer holding their entrancing allure in every direction. "Come on... I need a shadow to escape into," She huffs through exerted lungs. But everywhere she turns she runs into halls alight in the illumination of torches, far more than she recalls there ever being. Her eyes widen when she turns at a bend and nearly crashes into a hissing wall of guards and knights. Hastily retracting her steps she almost trips over her insufferable dress and cringes at the ruckus pounding of feet behind her. _'This was a trap! Father never had intentions of welcoming my daughter into her birthright. I should have known. I was foolish.'_

Gelda's eyes burn with irrational tears of anger as she flees desperately. The emotion begins to flood her, nipping at her skin and sparking at her fingertips. She just wants to go home where she and her daughter are safe and loved. Ahead of her she can see men piling in through the corridor, closing in on her rapidly. Her skin begins to sear as something boils in her chest.

The moment her feet slow to a halt, the blaze heating the air becomes apparent around her. "I've had enough." Those words are the spark needed to ignite the inferno that twists up around her ferociously.

She was never certain of where exactly the flames came from, only remember having a fever for weeks and weeks upon end when she was a little girl, the healers swearing she would not make it in the end. Sneaking out on what she thought would be her last night alive, she'd ended up in the in a small field not too far from the castle. That's when something had threatened to burst from her chest in a painful explosion, but instead she'd somehow purged the burning power from her hands setting fire to the lands. She'd kept this power of eternal flames a secret under wraps for so long, only practicing with it in secret due to how she might be viewed by her brethren. Vampires perish easily with the touch of flames, so she the Princess of their race wielding such a weapon would have made her expendable. No use in hiding it now.

The dying screeches around her are what snap her mind out of its enraged state, the roaring twists of the flames around her calming slowly with the change. Her now worried eyes fly down to Zaneta cradled in her hold, almost frightened to see the look on the baby's visage. She'd heard no screams or wailing from her surely indicating something to be wrong. In the momentary lapse of pursuit with piles of putrid smelling ashes around them, Gelda's breath stutters at the sight of Zaneta entirely fascinated by what hovers between her chubby palms. Icy blue flames.

"Zaneta? What...?"

A soft scratching sound quiets her astonishment and raises the hair along her skin. It's too silent now, like a predator has moved into the area. Gelda takes one last look at Zaneta, now occupied with chewing on the long locks of Gelda's hair with no flames in sight, and swiftly decides on heading for her former chamber in hopes of escape.

Contrary to the rather urgent feel that wells up inside of her telling her to run as fast as her feet can take her, Gelda herself almost slinks forward, stressing her senses outward for any more opposition. Surely her father wouldn't just give up? And yet as she leans around a sharp corner, feeling the harsh stone bite into her palm where she clings to keep her balance, she sees no one upon this floor. Only flickering torches, tightly shut doors, and cobwebs upon the roof that sway sluggish to an invisible draft.

She steps out of hiding, almost wishing to shush the giggles and croons Zaneta makes while playing with Gelda's hair. This is her best chance to escape, but why does that feel like a sinking notion in her gut, like it's further from the truth?

She gets her answer when she pads hesitantly towards an unguarded door in the form of low hisses melded with clicks, the kind of noise that chills every nerve in your body while twisting your stomach in sheer terror. The kind of sound that only a creature can make. Slowly, ever so slowly the Princess is positive she doesn't even take a breath, she begins to rotate around.

And turns right into the wide gaping muzzle like maw filled with a row, no, two rows of jagged teeth dripping globs of saliva lazily.

She wants to scream, she almost does staring in horror at this thing a few inches taller than her, black as midnight and more fuzzy than a wolf. This thing with eight legs a distant relative of a spider makes another rattling sound and Gelda stares in a prettified sort of fascination as its rows of teeth click together repeatedly more rapidly than she can discern.

It's with the knowledge that so much as one step backwards will certainly be the end of her that urges Gelda to snap her shaking hand forward. The creature springs right into a spray of flames screeching a high pitched noise as it begins to skitter around wildly, burning slowly alive. Zaneta cries then, no child could possibly be at ease with such a sound.

Gelda sprints as best as she can in the opposite direction, driven by adrenaline alone. Those must be her Father's Attackers, only used when absolutely necessary or for executing criminals of high crimes of treason. So in his warped sense of logic she fits the bill. She'd never seen one before, only heard of them in horror stories. Their innate ability to track was always a point of praise however. "What do they have of mine? I have not be here in ages!" She hisses frantic as she reaches a spiraling staircase that should lead up to the floor where her chamber used to be. The almost blinding and unnatural speed two Attackers appear before her, one shooting down the stairs, the other climbing along the wall dredges up that scream she withheld.

She's quick to push flames outward as they leap for her, polluting the air with the stench of their burning carcasses as she runs past them. Her heels, she realizes as her numb feet carry up the stairs that's how they found her so easily. Gelda presses a kiss to Zaneta's head just as they reach the top of the stairs. The expanse before them is empty for now, giving her a sense of staggering relief. "It's okay, ssh, sweetie. Mommy will get us home soon, okay?" It was a terrible mistake to bring her daughter on this trip, but Gelda was running on a false hope that things would go smoothly.

So far the only thing that seems to be going right is her journey to the ornate door at the end of the hall. Her heart practically sings in her chest as she nears it. Soon flushed in exertion, lightly coated in sweat, her hair tousled and wayward and softly obscuring her vision, Gelda extends her hand out to turn the doorknob.

Only instinct jerks her hand back quick enough from being completely lobbed off. As it is a deep gash snakes down the back of it giving way to crooked rivers of crimson liquid that drips from her fingertips.

Gelda turns slowly while gently bouncing Zaneta in the cradle of her arm to face the last people she wanted to see. Ren stands poised as ever, eyes piercing and not a strand of raven locks out of place. Blood drips from one of the two lengthy blades she wields, almost casually creating a small poodle upon the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, Gelda spies the ever crazed Orlondi looking more than ready to suck Gelda and Zaneta dry. Mod and Ganne, the behemoths of the group appear more than ready to rip and mangle on command.

Gelda's eyes shift back to Ren the unspoken leader of the group. "You do know how this will end, Gelda?"All sophistication as her voice oozes certainty.

"Ooh, can I have the baby when you're finished with Gelda, pleeasse? I wonder how it'll taste." Orlondi cuts through the tension, practically drooling over the prospect already.

Gelda bares her teeth in a feral warning. "You won't touch me or my baby!" She reaches into herself scrabbling for the inferno that will protect them. And it reacts, surging outward and around mother and daughter in a shield., forcing the Royal Vampires to jump back or risk being burned alive. Gelda expects this to be her savior, for this to be what gets her and her daughter out alive. What she hears is an amused chuckle from the ravenette.

"You won't be able to keep that up for long."

Gelda's heart stops cold as she chokes on understanding. Already she can feel herself breathing harder, sweat drenching her skin as her flames weaken. She's used too much of her power in her haste to protect the two. No, she's used all of it. As if rain opened up above her in droves, her flames go out in a silent whoosh leaving her to fall to her knees with her hold tight on Zaneta.

Tall white boots framed by long blades stride into her vision. "And just like that, the mighty fall."

Gelda doesn't respond, can't really as she stares blankly ahead. She failed. She fought so hard to make it through, to make it back home to Zeldris. Two glimmering tears roll down her cheeks, one after the other. He'll be devastated to find out his family was murdered in cold blood. And it was all because of her stupid mistake.

"Crying again, little Gelda? What is it my brother sees in you, I wonder…"

Her head snaps up at that languid rumble she'd know anywhere. Estarossa walks calmly, almost boredly in their direction with an expression that shows he hasn't a care in the world. His eyes slide over every one of them landing finally on Gelda, instantly swapping her devastating with unease. Those eyes could never be comforting as something slimy and cruel rests too deeply within them.

"What are you doing here demon?" Ganne growls antagonized.

"Shouldn't it be obvious?" Estarossa responds not stopping in his path towards the group.

Ren notices his intended move to guard Gelda and acts to cut that idea short. The Princess barely sees an unnaturally squiggly blade for only a moment before she seals her eyes shut. Surprisingly, Ren's screech sounds, pulling her eyes open once more. Except she can't see past the impenetrable wall that is Estarossa's mass.

"You should get going, Gelda." She cranes her neck up to see him gazing down at her over his shoulder with that lazy grin of his.

She doesn't argue. As easily as she can, she makes sure Zaneta is held carefully as they make their escape into the chamber behind them, finding the necessary darkness to take them home soon after.

~.~.~

Pitch black obscures everything in sight and the only way she knows they're home is from the distinct feel of demonic energy swarming in abundance. Gelda lets herself fall to her knees while clutching her fussing daughter to her chest. Her heart beats a frightened tune that takes several minutes to calm and even then she has to whisper soothingly and rock Zaneta gently in her arms to allow her mind to latch onto something and keep her tethered. When her breathing finally evens and her mind fully registers the way Zaneta paws at her chest—most definitely ready to eat—Gelda goes about adjusting her clothes and the little girl in her arms so that feeding her is comfortable.

She only winces slightly when the lack of adrenaline makes the deep gash on her hand known, but Gelda doesn't relent in the secure hold she keeps on Zaneta while she feeds. Rubbing her blood soaked fingers tenderly in her daughter's raven hair, Gelda leans her head back against the wall behind her and closes her eyes in the darkness. "Mommy messed up." She chuckles humorously as her baby squeezes her tiny hands on Gelda's chest tighter. "But that's okay. We're okay. Daddy didn't lose us…"

After several quiet moments, Zaneta decides she's finished by patting Gelda's chest and making a happy gurgle of agreement.

Gelda gives a loving smile at this, quickly pulling up the sleeve of her dress before lifting Zaneta and placing the tiny girl over her shoulder. Gelda bites back a moan of pain at the way her hand strains but she goes about burping her baby anyway, always putting her loved ones first. _'Not today,'_ a voice bitterly whispers in her mind.

Turning away from the thought viciously, Gelda slides Zaneta back into the crook of her arm the moment the gas is cleared from her tummy. Knowing her daughter will fall asleep soon the vampire moves to stand shuffling cautiously towards where the exit hopefully is. She needs to see the castle's healer before she loses too much blood. Already her mind spins with sickening vertigo the moment her feet find purchase on the ground. Still she persists in measured paces until her hand brushes against a door. The handle is quickly found and light bleeds into her vision.

She hisses in dismay seeing that it's still daylight; only an hour or two had passed. It'd felt like years since she'd been running to protect herself and Zaneta. She looks down at the drowsy baby now, still wary of how she'd react to sunlight. Until Zaneta grew in her teeth, Gelda's not certain who she takes more after.

Not taking any chances, Gelda is quick to orient herself in order to make a plan to get her and her daughter where they need to be unscathed. And with a few quick glances, she's delighted to find minimal windows built at a higher vantage point and the path leading to the castle's healer being only a few halls away.

She sticks to the walls below the windows, hardly passing anyone in her quest. She has a moment where she wonders where everyone could be when a warm hum crops up in the back of her mind. Her steps slow as she tries to analyze it shifting the snoozing baby in her arms while doing so. It's not a moment later before a fond smile takes shape across her lips and she turns left to face an unassuming door.

Gelda takes great care to ease the door open slowly bit by bit revealing a study of sorts with one silver haired goddess seated behind the desk centered in the room. Elizabeth writes on a parchment with one hand while her other rubs her swollen stomach in almost frustration. It becomes clear exactly why when she abandons her attempts at works in favor of chiding towards the little one inside her. "I know I'm not your Father and I can't reason with you like he can with his magic touch, but... Can you please settle down for me? He'll be back soon I promise."

Her sweet tone doesn't seem to sway the child if the groan of pure distress she gives a second later is anything to go by. Gelda wears a smile that looks remarkably like a wince of sympathy as she finally lets herself into the room. "I've had too many moments like that to count, except I couldn't ask Zeldris for help for a good lot of it."

Elizabeth's head snaps up in shock before her blue eyes round in fear, most likely having noticed the amount of blood coating the vampire's hand. Gelda sees Elizabeth's hands moving to brace herself in an effort to rise quickly and the vampire moves to intercept, simply taking a seat across from the goddess so that her wounded hand can be grasped in caring hands. The instant the goddess' magic pushes beneath her skin like sparks of warmth, Gelda sighs and feels the tension that had built up in her muscles evaporate. She feels just as drowsy as the baby in her arms suddenly as Elizabeth releases her hand.

"What happened?" The serious address has her eyes looking up into eyes hardened by the concern borne from friendship.

This just makes the self loathing churning inside her fester and spread like wildfire. Gelda smiles, shaken. "I was a fool. I was summoned by my father, I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and Zaneta and I nearly left as corpses."

Elizabeth's eyes shimmer with understanding and burn with sympathy. "Gelda, what happened in Edinburgh was not your fault," she responds fiercely.

Gelda shakes her head and runs her fingers through Zaneta's hair, so much like her father's. The thought is almost crippling. "We would have died there! And it would have been my fault. Zeldris would have lost us!"

Elizabeth's mouth thins for a moment, Gelda's only warning before the goddess has a firm hold of her hand between hers. Gelda hadn't realized her hands were shaking until the calm of Elizabeth begins to wash over her. "Listen to me. Your father obviously had no intentions of meeting with you civilly. The outcome would have been the same no matter what you did. Don't blame yourself." Her expression softens and Gelda finds herself hanging onto the emotion she finds there, gaining strength in her belief. "And you both are here and perfectly fine,' she squeezes Gelda's hand with a teasing smile. "You and Zaneta made it through on your own."

Gelda's stomach twists with painful unease at this, something Elizabeth must notice as her thin brows begin to scrunch up. "That's just it. We would have died... Had Estarossa not been there to save us."

Elizabeth recoils back, jaw slack, and completely astounded. "What!? But wasn't he—" Gelda sees the flush of rosy life drain from her face much too quickly for it to be healthy as the goddess' eyes suddenly focus on something beyond the vampire. Gelda starts to reach for her, worried when she too realizes what could make Elizabeth gain such a countenance.

"Hello, Lady Elizabeth. I was just checking to see if Gelda here was okay after her run in with her kinsman. It seems though you've taken good care of her in my absence."

A constant race of chills down her spine quickly spreads out to settle in her stomach like cemented fear. How much had he heard? Why was he there? Certainly not to check on her well being.

Elizabeth's eyes narrow although her sickly complexion remains as her hand goes back to rubbing her belly. "Of course, Estarossa. She's my friend and I'd do anything to help her."

"Yes, we've seen that, haven't we?" Something about the humor that colors his tone sounds off, practiced, as if he'd thought about a moment like this an immeasurable amount of times. Gelda hates having her back to him.

"You wouldn't mind me escorting little Gelda here back to her room since I'm certain the demons here wouldn't be too pleased to see you doing so yourself, Elizabeth?" His tone evens out into a casual resonance, easygoing, and careless of the veiled threat he placed over their heads.

Gelda's heart weighs heavy with fear yet forces her blood to blare frantically in her ears. She sees Elizabeth's jaw clench in defiance, sees the way the goddess wants to stand her ground despite her odds-especially in her condition. So Gelda makes the decision for her.

The exiled Princess stands to her feet and offers her friend a reassuring smile. "Yes that will be fine." When all Elizabeth does is continue to hold her gaze as if asking her if she's sure, pleading for her not to trust the demon, Gelda turns away with resignation.

The first thing she notices is the way Estarossa gazes down at her is the lazy way his eyes bore into her and the barely there smile that creeps up from the trail of hair along his chin. The vibes leaking from his towering form is that of self satisfaction, triumph simmering low in his eyes. She has to look away before the intensity of it threatens to shake her apart.

His hand presses in between her shoulder blades guiding her from the room. 'Come now, I'm sure you'll want to be freshened up in time for my brother's return."

Her head hangs low as she carries Zaneta wondering what it is Estarossa could be so satisfied about, and why he chose to bring up Zeldris who isn't due back until the next day? They stick to the darker, lesser used halls as he guides her towards her chambers, halls she's normally comfortable traveling down, but now she can't seem to shake the feeling of being trapped in with a predator. So to keep herself from going mad with possibilities of what the demon could do to her and her daughter, Gelda peers at him sideways and gasps at seeing his eyes right on her. She swallows thickly, eyeing the distance they have left until they get to the next turn. "So w-what happened with the vampires?"

He gives a closed eyed smile that would actually be charming if it weren't for the words that come out of his mouth next. "I turned the raven haired one into a demonic breast before making her explode into unrecognizable pieces. A warning of sorts." His hand goes back to the space in between her shoulder blades and she yelps having been shaking in horror from his words before. But he keeps his hand there anyway, letting his fingers glide on the side of her ribs. His fingers abruptly dig there turning her to face him and her heart lodges in her throat stealing her precious breath so she cannot scream.

He's as calm as ever though as he gazes down at her. Then he says something truly mystifying. "If anyone hurts my family there's a certain price they must pay, Gelda."

The knot lodged in her throat makes it so that all she can do is nod shakily.

His hand slides from her back and he turns away from her, striding unhurriedly from sight. She breathes quickly as her body leans against the door behind her, belatedly realizing it to be the one to her chamber. Not wishing to stay out of the relative safety of her room any longer, Gelda finds the door's handle and takes her daughter inside all the while wondering if Estarossa was threatening her or saying she was a part of his protection.


	2. Chapter 2

**~2~**

The cool handle of a brush quickly warms in her palm as she uses it to brush through her blond locks. She sits in front of her vanity as shafts of moonlight shimmer across her chamber floor. Her hair, long, and swept up over her shoulder to drape across her chest is what she keeps her focus on. Gelda doesn't dare look in her reflection with how much her guilt has taken from her, weighing down her shoulders and burning behind her eyes.

Instead she keeps her mind centered on the number of passes her brush has taken through her hair and the tranquility being in their chambers brings her. This room isn't the one she and Zeldris used before, the two having moved to a different wing of the castle when changes really started to take place in their lives. Things had still been tentative between them then, her presence around Zeldris brimmed with jagged uncertainty. But he hadn't been deterred, never relenting in his desire to have her as his, and so had given her the first real sign that he wanted her comfortable, that he wanted her happy. He let her design their room and their child's.

It was such a simple notion, but the vampire was more than thrilled for the opportunity. It had only taken her a week for the floaty images in her mind to come alive on paper and another to put it into motion before her eyes. It was the first time she had been in control. The workers had listened to her and treated her with the respect one gives to a Princess. They hadn't looked at her as if she was a scandalous woman to be hidden. They looked at her as if she belonged. And finally it had seemed like her hunt for happiness after so many dragging years was coming to an end.

Still though, even after these past few months of learning more about each other and twining their hearts together irrevocably with soft kisses, tender touches, and unspoken vows, she manages to find some way to put that in jeopardy. The brush in her hand rests on the base of her vanity with a careful clack.

Bringing Zaneta with her was a mistake. If Gelda had been lost at least Zeldris would have had his daughter safe and sound. Her risky gamble was truly not worth it. Elizabeth was adamant in Gelda's defense, but Gelda never mentioned the flames she'd witness in Zaneta's hands. Her daughter hadn't seemed in pain and Gelda had been keeping a keen eye on her throughout the day and nothing appeared out of the ordinary for the little girl. But what if there was? Gelda nearly died when fire had been given life inside of her. What if exposing Zaneta to such dangerous elements so soon had done something to her?

Gelda's lips press tightly together, contorting her expression, in a struggle against the build up behind her eyes. Her fingers move unsteadily, mimicking the delicate balance inside of her seconds from coming down all around her, as they move to begin gathering her hair in its usual elegant twist.

Her entire body jumps as if a bolt had run through her when arms encircle her from behind. She gives a trembling gasp at the feel of her heart surging in her chest from the unexpectedness of it.

"Wear it out. You look ravishing this way…" The sultry grate, familiar and sorely missed, has Gelda leaping from her seat and into Zeldris' arms where he squeezes her so close, her body bows into his. Their mouths move together then, a flare of passion that swarms her heart at the simple feel of his exhales against her cheek and the silky strands of his bangs grazing her forehead.

She sighs against him when their kiss draws to an end, her fingers curling into his shoulders. Blue eyes, dreamy and content, meld into the cool graze of dark depths, holding onto the endless adoration that causes them to shine. "You weren't due back until tomorrow evening! What are you doing here?" The words pass in surprise in the minimal space between them.

A hint of an edge envelops his grin. "Shouldn't it be obvious?"

Gelda feels a rush of regret flash across her skin. "That doesn't mean you should have cut your mission short!"

"I finished earlier today. The only reason I didn't arrive sooner was because it was reported that you and Zaneta were fine." He scoffs, "That's the only thing Meliodas felt so inclined to insist upon."

She turns her eyes down, meek in her flow of words. "So things... things went okay?"

He tugs her closer in his arms once more, pressing his head into her shoulder so that there's no mistaking his words; she not only hears them but feels them running through her while breathing in his comforting scent, crisp and uniquely Zeldris. "Yes, everything was flawless and efficient under my command. I, at first, assumed that with Meliodas accompanying he was going to be the one giving orders, which irked me greatly. But," she feels his fingers cold and unyielding from the gauntlets that cover them skim down her spine, stealing a whispered breath from her as she arches into him. "That couldn't have been further from the truth."

Her fingers slide down his shoulders to curl against his sides while she swallows. "Really?" A soft exhale of a word.

"Absolutely." The certainty in his eyes when he pulls back to look at her couldn't be more stark beneath the edge of his brows. "It became apparent that he wasn't doing anything, merely watching and seeming bored out of his mind. He was simply there to observe me and no matter what happened he would not step in to assist nor to control. It was my chance to prove myself to him, to my brother and King."

Her body gains a lightness to it with the swell of adoration in her chest that sweetens her lips into an ever present smile. Before she can even think she's closing her arms around him in a hug with her lips leaving a loving press just behind his ear. "I'm so proud of you," she whispers in his ear.

His fingers tangle in the back of her hair before she feels a careful kiss at the side of her head; a silent thank you. "This isn't about me though," he tells her after a moment, his voice creeping towards the steel of seriousness when he pulls from her completely. The cold paths his fingers take down her shoulders then her arms are the last to follow his departure. "This is about your meeting with Izraf."

She recognizes the gleam he gains in his eyes instantly and knows there's only so much holding him back from going on a rampage for her father's head. She turns her head to the side hoping to hide the sadness that shades her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear your apologies."

Eyelids rapidly blink to keep the sudden stream of tears that threaten to fall from his words that hit her like a blow. Gelda gasps as she feels herself sinking in the acid burn of despair, but a cold metal grip on her chin stops her decent, pulling her gaze to his. "You don't need to apologize, Gelda." He trails his thumb over her jaw, soothing, and she breaths in evenly, regaining her footing. "That bastard father of yours is the one who needs to grovel at my feet begging for forgiveness. No, pleading for his life after what he did to you and our daughter."

"But I—" She closes her eyes to hide away from the rage storming in his eyes. "I know." The truth hangs before her, a drop of revelation. "But that doesn't mean I'm not in the wrong, too."

Zeldris stepping away from her is the trigger for her eyes to snap open. Her body tenses in perpetuation for anything. "And why is that? And don't go saying you could have gotten you or Zaneta killed." He's taken to leaning against the wall beside the window, his arms crossed in challenge, while his eyes pin her in place, waiting.

She struggles to swallow past the girth of her worry. The sweep of her eyes towards the door that connects Zaneta's room to theirs gives her away. "I exposed her to danger, Zeldris, and... And something happened," she hesitates gripping her hands around thick handfuls of her nightgown meant for the colder months that have blown in.

She can hear the metallic shift as Zeldris slips from the wall. "What do you mean? Is there something I don't know?"

The worrying grip to his tone makes her stomach sick with guilt. Gelda opens her mouth and closes it unable to force the words out under the force of his eyes. She looks away and they stream from her like broken rivers. "I think she's fine, but-but she made flames today, Zeldris! Bright and blue-! But she's only four months old! What if something's—" The chill of Zeldris' hands sweeping her face into a cradle halts her torrent long enough for her to see into his deep understanding eyes. Her chest rises as tears roll down her cheeks. "What if something's wrong?"

An almost nonexistent smile spreads across his lips as he smooths her tears away tarnishing the metal on his fingers. "You worry too much, my Gelda. Did you ever think that Zaneta might take more after me? Flames are more common to demons. And the fact that she's displaying powers so soon merely means you birthed me a powerful daughter. There's nothing to fear."

She falls heavily into the kiss he pulls her into with a rush of relief. He's right. _Of course he's right._ Just because she had a near death experience with gaining her powers and was cursed with more doesn't mean Zaneta will be the same way. She worked herself up for nothing. The idea causes her lips to curve up so much it's hard to maintain the kiss and Zeldris, never one to squander an opportunity, informs her with confidence curling from his words. "Regardless, the next time you won't have to worry as I'll be there instead of you having to wait for Estarossa to rescue you."

It's as if every motion in her body freezes, her heartbeats, her breathing, her thought process, all of it at that name, in sickening unease. Then a second later it all speeds ahead as if making up for lost time and she's suddenly dizzy, unable or unwilling to meet his gaze. _'He knows about Estarossa? Of course he does...'_

Zeldris' eyebrows threaten to disappear into his hairline for an instance. "Gelda, what's wrong?"

She catches a breath forcing herself to calm. She finds herself slipping into an older persona. One with a mask of indifference, a cold outer shell, and insides as fragile as a wounded soul. The curtains are much more interesting to look at than the piercing stare in the demon in front of her, she decides. "I'm fine... Just tired."

His fingers tighten on her upper arms for a split second and she can feel his fight for control through the jerk off his muscles. She still keeps her eyes away, drowning in the rapid pound of her heartbeats. "I've heard that lie before," he tells her with a quiet, forcefully calm. "Be honest with me."

Her pulse ticks madly through her veins and all she can see is the way Estarossa smiled as he spoke of killing Ren. "It's nothing."

Altogether Zeldris lets her go and her eyes go to him to see him heading towards to room's exit. If she thought her heart was speeding before it's all but blazing now. _"_ _Zeldris, wait!"_

"I'll get answers on my own. You were like this before when it came to Estarossa. I should have figured something happened with him then." The bitter way he chews the words out as he curls his fingers so tight they quake, frightens Gelda terribly.

This is bad, no _worse_. A nightmare turned reality. If Zeldris goes and faces his brother like this with possible hate in his heart things could end fatally for him. _'What can I do? What can I—?'_ Thoughts, ideas, _her need for him to say here safe with her,_ blur in her mind and make it impossible for her to think straight. Her hand reaches for him shakily, her eyes begin to brim. _'_ _Stay here with me… Please…'_

Instinct starts to settle into over her, calming her breathing, and smoothing like salve over her worry. The panic seizing inside of her at the sight of his hand on the door's handle fades away as an idea takes its place, and her power begins to unfurl, cool and charged like sparks on the tips of her nerves. "Zeldris." She calls out to him, firm and steady, demanding he face her. When he does, still thrumming with untamed fury, she raises a hand to the top of her gown fingering the top button there titillatingly before they begin to come undone, one by one under sure fingers. His eyes never leave hers. Even as she begins to strip in the chill of the room, exposing her naked flesh, the temperature hardens her nipples rigidly the moment they're exposed.

"You can't leave just yet, my Lord," her voice gains a low purr that drizzles heavily over her words. The last button slides out of place and her gown falls apart for him to gaze at freely. Her hands begin to roam along her breasts unhurriedly, down her stomach, her thighs, always just skimming past the place between her legs as she releases teasing, breathy sounds for him to absorb. "I need your help," she breaths slowly still managing to blush in this state and under the watchful plaster of his eyes. Her fingers finally set a course down between her thighs, the material of her sleeve brushing against one of her nipples causing her to moan loudly. She peeks at him between thick strands of blond hair. "I can't do this as well as you."

"You know your eyes looked just like that the day we met. I found myself kissing you before I even knew what was going on." He murmurs after a moment of his eyes traveling a heated path along her body.

His casual words thrusts her out of her sensual movements meant to draw him in with jarring ease. She watches him walk towards her and the clear want in his eyes can't be hidden. But she can still see the soldier like control in his movements, even as his touch, frigid yet scolding, as his grip settles on her rear grasping there roughly pulls her flush against him and the hard length confined between them. Gelda sags into him with a ragged breath, hands braced against his chest, senses overwhelmed by the coarse texture of his clothes as they scratch against her skin. She lifts a leg around his waist, rolling fluidly along the length of him to the pulse emerging in her core. But he stops her with a grunt, holding her in place with his fingers dug wonderfully onto the flesh of her bottom.

"Gelda, I had wanted revenge after that for having been controlled so easily." The soft admittance gains her attention quickly and her mind fights past the haze of pleasure to recall his words and what he's referring to. Their meeting so long ago.

"I'd returned the next day hell bent on showing you your place, but when I saw you, you'd looked shocked to see me again, not fearful. You were nervous and delighted of all things to see me." His eyes take on a faraway glaze, pensive, and overly solemn, but she can hear the wistfulness to his tone that makes her heart soar higher than the stars above. "I hadn't known what to think or how to react. My training hadn't prepared me for something like that and the fight had honestly left me at such a look, so I…" He trails off and she has to wonder why, especially when a look a fluster begins to rise in his features.

She remembers that day too and how stiff the, then, Sergeant had acted. He'd requested that she'd show him the castle grounds, giving him a tour essentially, something she'd thought was odd then because the day before she was certain someone had already done such a thing. Seconds of studying the demon's face allows the answer to click. Gelda giggles freely as she lovingly lifts her hands to cup Zeldris' cheeks. "You liked me and didn't know any other way to express the emotion except to stay near me." He turns his gaze to the side and doesn't deny. "Even though I thought it odd, I did enjoy spending time with you." Something in her voice tightens and she pulls her arms around his neck so that she can whisper for him to hear instead. "I always do, Zeldris... I love you."

He remains silent as his hands glide up to rest between her shoulder blades. "I love you, too." She relaxes at this until he continues. "That's why I have to do this to make sure my fiance and daughter are safe."

Her mouth falls open slightly as he pulls back, leaving a kiss to the side of her head before heading for the exit once again. "You don't have to wait up for me. I know you're upset with me," he tells her coolly before the door closes behind him.

She stands in the shrill silence of their room for several moments before her hands go tersely to the buttons of her nightgown quickly doing them closed. He's right about her going to sleep without him. The vampire settles into the bed deep under the covers in frustration, edging as far away from the worry in her chest as she can. She was only trying to keep him away from harm, was that so wrong on her? Her face flushes in embarrassment as she recalls the way she'd acted sliding her hands over herself in a proactive manner. Even then he'd turned her efforts down even after they haven't really had the chance to be together since Zaneta's arrival. She gives a slow breath while bringing a hand to rest near her face. She knows Zeldris still finds her more than appealing though if what she felt was to go by. He's just trying to protect them because he loves them.

A glimmer caught in the moonlight catches her drowsy eyes. On her left hand is the engagement ring he gave her not long after Zaneta was born. They'd snuck away for just an hour in the dead of night. Under an endless sky the stars had bore witness to his quiet words, his arms around her, and the love in his promise. He'd given this ring to her in hopes that he could have her as his wife and she'd told him she was his to have in any way as long as they'd be together for the rest of their lives.

Her eyes close and she dreams of his safe return.

~.~.~

The heated stir of Gelda's actions low and simmering in his blood quickly begins to dim and meld into something different the closer he gets to his destination. He starts to feel something tenser, more _sinister_ , replace it the more he thinks of his older brother. More menacing the more he pictures the way Gelda shrank into herself at his name. The muscles in his hands strain under the metal covering them, but he clutches them tighter anyway, cursing himself at his own foolishness.

He'd been blinded by his own pride and pigheaded stubbornness before when it came to Gelda. He loved the vampire in a way he hadn't thought was possible and had reacted to the emotion brashly by keeping her close, unwilling to let her go. He'd gone to the extremes in doing so and almost lost her as a result when all he had needed to do was give her a chance to show him that she'd never leave his side.

So he was a blind fool then. It seems he hasn't outrun that title as just yet.

A wing of the castle he rarely frequents comes into his line of vision soon enough. Only a guard or two walks the halls meaning his brother is in his chambers for the night. Zeldris is efficient in sensing him out, feeling for the mass of energy he's become familiar with over the years. It's easily found alongside two smaller blips that makes him grimace in distaste. Of course. His brother believes himself successful enough after today's events to grant himself a reward.

Zeldris opens the door to the quaint sitting room his brother resides in with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Giggles, squeals, and sensual moans crowd his ears instantly, a perverse kind of welcome of sorts. Hearing the two woman practically fall over themselves for his brother makes him question why it is he's here and not in bed with Gelda as she surrounds him with more allure than any woman ever hopes to embody.

The door gives a soft squelch of announcement to his presence and his answer comes to him in Estarossa's self righteous tone. "Can't you see... I'm busy little brother? Whatever it is you need... can wait."

The clear dismissal is vexing. It brings a vicious throb to his skull as he draws himself straighter. "What I must speak with you is important, brother," he insists in a firm resonance. "So I suggest you tell them to leave us."

Estarossa pulls the women closer with a chortle. "Lighten up, Zeldris!"

Zeldris' fingers curl into tight fists as the power spreading from his chest burns down his limbs. His voice carries his strength, heavy with his command. "I suggest you both leave now, unless you wish to try your luck against me."

He watches their half dressed figures go completely still like icy had locked them in place. Then with deep apologies they force themselves from Estarossa's hold and flee towards the exit behind Zeldris never once looking back. Zeldris keeps his stance and tight jaw, He never takes his glare from his brother's mess of grey hair.

Estarossa allows an irritated sigh as he rises to his feet. The longcoat he normally wears is unkempt around his form as he travels towards the side of the room already in seek of one of the many forms of alcohol he keeps. His hands sift over a few bottles before settling on one which he begins to pour. "What is it you want that you were so willing to delay my evening?"

Zeldris' eyes remain on the taller as his arms smoothly cross over his chest. The bubbling of his anger beneath his skin his just barely ignored for the time. "It's about Gelda."

"Lover's quarrel?" Estarossa interrupts after taking a deep drink, proceeding to smirk at the younger afterwards. "Or problems in bed? I can help with both, if you'd like?"

A twitch in his jaw is all Zeldris allows of the rolling malice beneath his flesh. "She fears you. Why is that?"

"And should she not?" Estarossa's lips curl delightful after a sip and he paces towards the back of the sofa he once sat in and leans against it so he's face to face with Zeldris. "The demons are superior to her deplorable race."

The glass is pulled up to Estarossa's lips when Zeldris moves. His speed strikes lethal as a viper and the glass is smacked from Estarossa's grip, crashing against the wall in a glimmering mess. Standing right in front of his brother a quiet tremor of tension travels between them. "Gelda is my fiance and the mother of my child, you will treat her with respect." Zeldris hisses.

But Estarossa scoff and brushes past him in seek of another glass. "You have lost your warrior's pride as well as Meliodas." The sloshing of liquid can be heard as he turns his back carelessly to Zeldris. "Don't think it has not been noticed that you've branded your sword with that cursed symbol. In honor of your dear friend _Elizabeth_ , is it not?" He says the words with a bitter kind of mirth when he turns around. Then he looks down towards the sword pointed a scant inch from his chest with amusement as if he'd expected Zeldris silent move of action, had planned for it.

Zeldris remains cold in his stare, frigid in his stance, even though his words are as searing as acid and bring about black flames to his blade. "I owe Elizabeth my life. She's the reason my family draws breath, because I know damn well neither Meliodas nor I was man enough to swallow back our pride and dig up the truth."

Something harsh passes over his brother's eyes just before he sets his glass down. When his hand clamps down around Zeldris' shoulder the look is gone, replaced by an indolent grin as he leans forward so that the curve of the blade nearly touches his chest. "You would point your sword at your own brother?"

Zeldris sneers at the change and obvious deflection as the scent of alcohol on his brother's breath stretches towards him. He sheathes his sword and swipes the hand from his shoulder. "What did you do to her?" he tries once more.

Now Estarossa raises an eyebrow, his smile tinged in mockery. "I saved her. Is that not what you wanted?"

Zeldris closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as the anger inside him threatens to consume him. Estarossa is doing nothing but talking him in circles. The only way he'll get answers out of him is to be two steps ahead of him. Unfortunately, he's tipped his brother off to his suspicions so he'll have to go about this differently. At another time. His eyes snap open in a cutting glare as Estarossa gazes at him in humor over his glass. "I want you to stay away from her, do you understand?"

Estarossa shifts his glass down after he swallows then sighs loudly, satisfied. "Loud and clear." He offers a teasing salute as well, but Zeldris is already turning towards the exit, leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**~3~**

Her nose twitches against the cold as sleep threatens to leave her for the brisk embrace of awareness. Gelda is determined to fight against it though. She'd woken in the very early hours of morning to check up on Zaneta, even if the little girl was starting to sleep soundly throughout the night. This coupled with the fact that Zeldris hadn't returned by the time she'd gone back to sleep had made her sleep far from restful. Dreams of him suffering, him wounded, or _worse_ had drifted in and out of her consciousness and quite frankly she's exhausted from worry by now.

So the brush of cold air against her skin when she was sure she was covered up nicely before starts to become a nuisance. And the feather light trails she notices on her chest and along her stomach start to gradually pull her away from the rest she would like to have gotten.

Her mind takes a moment to track the paths she isn't fully positive are there. Slowly one dusts around the side of her breast before tickling down her ribs. The other smooths across her stomach which flinches as she sucks in an unsteady breath. The sensation travels downward over her hip then sluggishly begins to make a path towards her pelvis. This more than anything pulls her eyes open in hurried blinks to gaze around the shaded room in hopes of figuring out if her mind is playing tricks on her.

Instead she sees the very real image of Zeldris leaning over her from her side. His hands are roaming sensually across her exposed flesh from her open gown as he gazes down at her with a quiet intensity that nearly pins her to the bed.

But even his quiet study of her with his eyebrows in a calm set hinting at the heavy thoughts swirling in his mind doesn't stop her for long from surging upwards and circling her arms around his shoulders. The touch of his bare chest against hers is comforting, especially when his arms move into the opening of her nightgown to press into her shoulder blades. His life beats steadily against her torso and her mouth goes to his cheek, laying a relieved kiss there. "You came back. I was so worried…"

One of his hands travels up her spine, slow and steady. She feels the curl of his fingers in the back of her hair pulling her head back gently so that she's subjected to the deep swirling of something undefinable in his eyes. His tone is low, a grated murmur as he responds, "You worry too much."

Even as he says this she gets a churning tightening in her stomach that tells her her worry isn't misplaced. But he continues on, tightening his fingers in the back of her hair just the slightest. He breathes low, impassioned as his eyes go to her lips, "Let me make it up to you."

His mouth slants over hers and Gelda shivers as her nerves tingle. She breathes out slowly through her nose as he kisses her languidly. Her fingers travel up his shoulders and weave into his hair as he presses atop of her, tangling his tongue with hers in a growing passion. His weight is heavy, firm, and she arches into him, moaning as he begins to nibble her lips, sucking them plump as she trembles with a growing heat. He wants to make it up to her. A slow moan leaves her as his mouth descends along her jaw, her eyes fluttering beneath closed lids. She'll let him then.

Her breathing is a little rushed when he presses an aggressive kiss behind her ear. His teeth pull her skin roughly making her whimper as her fingers move to dig into his shoulder blades. She feels her heart thud recklessly when he climbs over her, feels his hot breaths brush down her neck with his open mouth kisses and something begins to kindle in her belly, a roar she hasn't felt in so long. Zeldris shivers with a groan when she scratches her nails along his spine, her want to please him in this great as he takes his time to leave marks along her flesh, suckling her collarbone, her breast bone...

Gelda gasps as her eyes peel open blearily when his tongue drags along her breast. The wet feeling like a moist graze as he teases her. Her fingers curl into his biceps as he kisses around her nipples, making her suck her lower lip between her teeth at the tempting yet sensitive feel. He hasn't even touched her nipples and she feels the buds hardening, wanting his attention, _no needing it_. He chuckles against her and she knows he must feel her racing heart, her excitement already. The demon kisses under her breasts now as she groans in dismay.

"Oh, Zeldris…" She sighs as she looks down at him, seeing how her nipples perk in the air. "Please," she whispers as his lips brush her sternum once more, feeling a blush tingling in her cheeks.

He lifts up and very carefully laps his tongue across her hardened bud without question and a sound of pleasure swirls deeply in her throat, her eyes falling shut. She's tender, but he's ginger in flicking the bud with his tongue as she softly sighs, a heat burning under her skin. Gelda thrusts her pelvis up against his when he trails his mouth towards her other breast, rubbing against his bulge so that he groans into sensitive flesh next. The sound stirs through her veins as desire dampens her core.

She pants and shivers as he leaves wet kisses along her stomach his voice meeting her ears rousing as she whimpers. " _Gelda… ooh, Gelda…"_ Again, his tongue darts out, like sparks to her skin, this time circling her belly button as sweat dots her skin. She's almost embarrassed by how loud she breathes, but his hands gentle on her thighs, stills the worry. And instead she moans loud, her legs parting as he kisses her lower belly where heat pools and pleasure charges.

A high noise leaves her when his tongue slides between her folds suddenly, the feel of his fingers guiding her thighs up and open further making the flush in her cheeks bloom to her hairline. The throb in her slit pulses against his tongue and a heady moan floods the room. Her body quakes as he suckles and kisses, turning the heat under her skin to a dizzying blaze. She tries to twist as her stomach tenses, her noises sharp and quick as he groans and murmurs against her in praise. It's so good after so long. Her body missing the feeling of pleasure so deeply, her head is thrown back with an almost pained shout. She feels her heart leaping like a speeding rabbit, her mind fuzzy from need as she grows wetter and hotter around his persistent tongue.

Then she feels a pressure start to build like a wave of heat and she's gasping for breath, her thighs trembling in his hands. She does not want to end this way however as he sucks wetly against her throbbing bundle of nerves. She does not want to tip over the edge as her toes curl and her head tosses from side to side, her hair a mess in the throes of ecstasy.

Zeldris pulls away abruptly and she falls limp, the feeling slipping away from her like the sand between her fingers.

She brings a hand to her hair as she breathes desperately and opens hazy eyes to see Zeldris staring at her heatedly from between her flushed thighs. "You want more, do you not?" He asks in a throaty voice.

Gelda whimpers as she nods weakly. Then he's climbing over her and her arms are around his shoulders grasping him as he kisses her fervidly. She tastes herself on his tongue with a thick moan, her body hot and ready as she slides her thighs around his waist. But she yelps when he flips them over, her now on top as he kisses her lips tenderly again and again, taking her breath away. She feels him shift beneath her, his legs shimming out of his pants so that there's nothing between them and Gelda's heart gives a loving _thump_. Her want for him as strong as ever as she looks down at him curtained by her pale blond locks.

He lifts a hand to brush her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering over her flushed cheek like intoxicating sears before his hands grip her shoulders. She lifts up at the guidance and slides her hips over his, but then she gasps when his fingers brush her gown off her shoulders making her shiver against the cool air that threatens to seep into the heat between them. Zeldris trains his eyes on her face, something hard, and hungered rimming the black pools, but she melts into the love she sees at their core. The intensity of it enough to make her shudder and look down.

 _'Why am I… so nervous?'_ She thinks, her hands lying flat on the burning muscles of his stomach. It's then she notices the stretch marks along her skin despite the healing of Elizabeth's magic, certain things remain. Her stomach twists so tight she can't look at him. He has to have seen them, noticed the changes in her body. Will this actually be the same as it was before? Can it be?

He must notice her hesitation because he slowly beging to trail his fingers along her stomach making the muscles there twitch and a soothing warmth flare in their wake. He's tracing right over them tenderly as her breath continuously sticks in her throat. Maybe he doesn't' care? This all seems so different, with how patient he's being, and yet the same the depth of his want for her prodding beneath her. She won't bow down to nerves not when they both want this so much.

She lifts herself and he takes note, holding himself steady, then her eyes close, her heart flutters, and a heady sigh melts from her, succulent and thick, when she begins to lower herself, their bodies join together lusciously. His hand goes to her hip when she's seated, tense and twitching as she bites her lip trying to hold back a few broken sounds. It feels unbelievably good to be connected to him in such a way again. The hard heat inside of her rubbing alongside her nerves like an inferno he strokes continuously getting hotter.

Gelda starts the rocking motion with a roll of her hips, hearing him grunt as he meets her hips with steady strokes of his own. It's mesmerizing how they move, her breaths catching with each graze inside of her. Zeldris slides his free hand up her thigh, a fire trail that makes her chest tremble as she rocks over and over. His fingers grip into her skin, biting but wanted, then lick up her twitching stomach sticky with sweat, and finally they cup her bouncing breasts. The sound that leaves her is long and shocking, their bodies now slapping together as she's consumed in his touch.

She feels her skin prickling as she claws at his stomach, feels his length being strangled as her core jolts with each surge within her. But then he says something rough and deep, his own pleasure obvious in the way his hearts beat beneath her fingertips. "Gelda… _Look me in the eyes."_

And she does as desperation lengthens her tones. His irises don't seem to reflect light the way they are now, devoured by his hunger for her and it makes feeling him inside her more intense being trapped by such a stare. It makes her bounces in his lap stutter only kept steady by his own thrusts within her, his own grip on her hip. Then he say something once more as his hand on her breast fondles with care, making her gasp as her toes curl. "You are beautiful… Gelda."

Her stomach clenches and her heart skips several beats. She rides him long and thorough as fresh waves of slick gush around his need. His words echoing in her mind like volatile bolts to her core. She doesn't look away once.

His hand slides between her breasts and tingles up her neck before cupping her cheek. He seems to swallow around a shaky sound before saying, "I love you, Gelda…"

Something pricks behind her eyes as her fingers curl into his sides and he must feel the dramatic shift in her body because he sits up, so that she's seated in his lap crushed in his arms. Her arms curl around his shoulders as her emotions swirl within her like a collapsing wave. Her eyes slam shut, her mouth pressing into the point of his shoulder and neck to muffle her noises, when her core starts to spasm, hot and slick, gushing her release around his pumping length. She makes tiny sounds as she rides him slowly, the burn within her hot and overwhelming as she takes him deeply. His fingers bite into her flesh as he groans heavily, him pulsing within her as her core milks him viciously.

It's only when her sounds taper off does she realize tears are in her eyes, not exactly of pleasure, but of deep seated love. She sniffs and presses her mouth to his neck. A croaked, _"I love you too,"_ sticking to his skin.

She sinks into the way his hands smooth up and down her back, their breathing labored as they attempt to calm from their bliss. But then Zeldris stiffens around her and pulls back. His eyes stare at something behind her before he lifts her sliding from her body as she hisses in dismay. "Stay here," he urges with a fleeting look and her worry from before coils tight within her chest.

She watches as he slides on a black pair of pants before slipping into the room that connects to Zaneta's. Her mind surfaces from the relief pleasure grants it in an instant. _Zaneta._ Their daughter must be up and ready for breakfast by now! She looks down at herself and realizes she's covered in various bruises and sticky with sweat and release. Her lips thin at the hinderance and she crawls out of bed and onto weak legs regardless. She'll clean up a little and then go to her daughter.

Being a mother is a full time job after all.

~.~.~

A meeting was to be held at breakfast sharp. Possible loopholes to be looked for in certain peace agreements. Of course two of his most important Commandments failed to show up forcing him to go after them. Meliodas feels a throb beat against his temples as a sigh of utmost annoyance edges from his throat. Zeldris is usually so punctual, while Estarossa slides into meetings a minute or two before they begin. The metallic thuds of his boots echo off the corridors as he rounds the corner leading towards Zeldris' wing. His fingers shift and curl tightly beneath leather gloves that flare around his wrists. "What the hell could be holding him up?"

A few servants rightfully scramble out of his growing storm's path, making way for him to stop outside of the sheeny wood that stretches towards the ceiling. He's about to rap his knuckles against it like thunder when loud, sensual moans and deep answering groans catch his ears. A dry grin forms on his face without thought as he takes a step back from the door. So Zeldris is taking Gelda to bed…

Meliodas turns away slightly as the fingers of his right hand moves to rub slightly along the band hidden beneath his left glove, a new habit of his, slipping into thought. He can let his brother's tardiness slide… _just this once_. He knows what it's like to need to satisfy your mate. And with Elizabeth's hormones being through the roof lately, he's been lucky enough to leave their home in Britannia, let alone the bed. His hands drop to his sides as he recalls most recently, the slight grin of his lips vanishing into the thin line that takes its place. Though she did take things too far, unknowingly, begging to let her tie him up as she had her way with him, something he would have had no problem with _before_. Before what happened in the lair.

When he'd been hesitant in agreeing, she'd reasoned that he'd tied her up before as well and she'd enjoyed it. His hearts had nearly lurched from his torso, twisted and squeezed until the pain became too great, _but…_ she hadn't been accusing him. She wasn't trying to use that moment against him. She said she enjoyed the moment and was simply disappointed that he didn't want her to tie him up and show him pleasure as well. It was different. The situation was different and he had to believe that.

It was difficult, incredibly difficult, to pretend being tied up as his wife loomed over him the same as the Elizabeth from _before_ was different _._ But it _had_ been different. Elizabeth had cherished him, had loved him as she brought both of them pleasure like never before. She hadn't said hurtful things as she teased him salaciously. She'd praised him and practically worshipped him completely to the point when their ends finally came together, he had been brought to tears once more. She had been shocked and even worried that she'd done something wrong as she'd freed him from his binds and cradled him against her bosom.

He could not tell her why his tears fell. The salty rivers she had never seen before being present because of her love and care and devotion for him that, for all good reason, should not be. But he'd held her tightly and silently cried, fruitlessly trying to will them away, because her feelings for him do exist and are true. Elizabeth had carefully brushed the trails away from his cheeks and chalked them up to something she had heard when he wouldn't explain, saying that sometimes men can share in the emotional turmoil women go through during their pregnancy. The goddess felt like they were closer for it.

He had simply agreed holding onto his vow to never let her in on the suffering he tries and mostly keeps locked away.

Meliodas sighs and shakes his head, striding away from the sounds emanating from his brother's chamber, deciding to let him have his fun. He has another brother to go after who doesn't have such an excuse to hide behind after all. Only, after several steps down the mutely lit hall, something causes the hairs along his neck to stand on end, a keen prickling under his skin scraping at his senses. The door to his brother's sitting room, now Zaneta's, holds two energies.

Estarossa is closer than he'd assumed.

"What the fuck is he doing in there?" The words come out of his mouth like a quiet build up to the calm before. His hand encircles the ornate doorknob, twisting to gain entry without pause. The grandeur of the room manages to encompass the essence of his growing niece in dainty yet simple elegance. And yet it doesn't feel overdone with useless objects thrown here and there to show off status. The rocking chair in the corner, the warm rug that swallows up nearly the entirety of the stone flooring, the toys strewn about over the chest of drawers, spilling from the box where they should reside, and the softly tinkling mobile turning over the crib all bring a quaint feel to the room.

It's too bad that feeling is torn away, swapped with something oily and unpleasant as he spies Estarossa's hand in the crib across the room, back away from him.

"What do you think you're doing in here?" Meliodas asks in a rumbling tone practically feeling his anger pulling in tightly along his limbs, a storm about to strike.

Estarossa straightens up after a moment, then turns to face him after a beat. The taller's face is a mask of careless lines only making the outrage twist Meliodas' stomach cruelly. "I was merely checking on the little one. I payed a visit to Gelda yesterday after the, eh, incident. And I just wished to make sure this one was fine as well."

They hold gazes for several moments, Meliodas gauging the truth in his brother's words in any unnecessary shifts or wavering of eyes. But of course Estarossa is too skilled to give himself away so easily. So the King walks around him to the crib where Zaneta stares up with bright blue eyes, all smiles as her feet kick and are occasionally grabbed by tiny hands. The thought to pick her up and carry her in the crook of his arm isn't a conscious one. The little girl squeals quietly with flailing arms as he subconsciously checks her energy over, sensing those four little hearts… Only easing in his tense stance when she seems absolutely fine.

Still he gives Estarossa a cool look over his shoulder, the cogs in his mind working relentlessly to put a true reason to his brother's presence. Not once has the younger shown an interest in Zaneta. In fact it was quite clear that he despised both Meliodas' and Zeldris' choice in mates. So what could be his game? "You've never cared before. Why start now, hmm? Care to enlighten me?" Meliodas grins a bit on the menacing side as his hand slides up the girl's back soothingly.

Estarossa's stance becomes perfectly straight as if carefully choosing his move in the deadly game they play. His blasé grin doesn't give under Meliodas' unwavering stare. "As I said before, brother, I simply wished to check on her after the encounter with the vampires yesterday. She seems perfectly well however. A spitting image of the happy couple copulating in the next room." The mockery in his tone isn't missed and Meliodas' fingers twitch, a spark ready to set off the devastation just waiting beneath his skin. "I shall take my leave now, my King."

Meliodas listens to the casual steps trailing out of the room until he and Zaneta are alone. His eyes fall down to her then as a breath holding all of his tension leaves him. The little girl notices none of this as she blinks happily and proceeds to raise a hand to grip the strands of hair near her face and yank without a care. A pained groan bounces around in his throat and he tries and fails not to wince. Why does he put himself through this madness?

Elizabeth likes to tease him about the excitement he shows in his visits with his niece, saying he's a thrum of restless nerves waiting for the birth of their little one. It's true however. when he's not spending sleepless nights wondering if she's going to vanish on him one day, he wonders how he's going to handle their own child. Of course he wants to raise them to be strong, relentless, and never back down from opposition. But what about all the gentle crap that comes with these things too? Elizabeth will be a big help with that, but what about him? He doesn't want his child to fear him exactly. And yet he's going to have to find some balance between unyielding and encouraging. Kids are easy to break. He thinks of his brother Estarossa, the perfect example.

His scowl lacks heat as he stares down at Zaneta squeezing and pulling his blond locks, essentially entertaining herself as he cradles her. Eyes focused on her the frivolous thoughts begin to fade when a certain smell causes him pause. It's not the usual powdery baby scent he's used to. It's more of a… metallic scent?

The small door to the back suddenly opens allowing the heavy scents of sex to fill his nose. Meliodas locks eyes with Zeldris bare from the waist up and the ankles down. Zeldris' usual black look turns suspicious as he looks between Zaneta and Meliodas. "What are you doing in here?"

A sharp tug against his scalp and he answers with, "Going bald early."

Zeldris smirks and closes the distance with his arms stretched out. "You know, she's going to get confused between us one day."

Meliodas hands the girl over, extracting his hair from her little hand gratefully. The cut of his grin holds something the younger doesn't understand, until Meliodas points out matter of factly. "I doubt that. Every time she sees you she—"

The moment Zaneta's bright blue eyes land on Zeldris a squeal like never before, high in pitch, and only something a delighted baby can make, fills the room.

"—does _that."_

Even in the dim lighting from the sun's rays attempting to break through the curtains, it's obvious the way Zeldris' cheeks fill heavily with an embarrassed, yet pleased, flush. From the way he bounces the blissful baby in his arms, it's clear he adores her.

Meliodas is almost chagrined he has to break up the scene. But stone lines his resolve heavy and unmoving. Words fall from his mouth, low and on the verge of straying into dangerous waters. "I came to find out what could be keeping you from the meeting this morning and what I found was Estarossa leaning over the edge of Zaneta's crib."

The choked look that passes across Zeldris' eyes is fleetingly before a trembles of barely controlled rage threatens to send him out the door and after the grey haired demon takes its place. "Did he do anything?"

Meliodas is certain Zeldris is looking Zaneta over the same way the blond did before. "I don't know. He simply said he wished to check her after yesterday's incident with the vampires. Same as what he apparently did with Gelda yesterday." He responds clean cut as his mind again tries to analyze Estarossa's motives.

Zeldris has gone quiet. His eyes are the vicious kind of cold that gives nothing away while his jaw tenses every so often. His chest rises and falls evenly, his only way to keep in check. "He's planning something, I know it. He did something to Gelda, she won't tell me—"

Just then the mother in question rushes into the room barely covered in a robe, hair uncharacteristically cascading down her back as her blue eyes search around like a seeking device for the baby in Zeldris' arms. Once discovered, she extracts her without so much as a glance to the raven haired demon. Meliodas even wonders if she notices _him_ she's so lost in her mothering mode as she begins to coo to the baby. The vampire quickly finds a seat in the rocking chair and with practiced ease her robe is pulled open _and..._ Meliodas has never looked away so fast before in his life.

Clearing his throat with a wry grin he raises an eyebrow at Zeldris who crosses his arms tersely. Before the younger can announce their departure from the room for a more private talk, Gelda seems to take notice of them with a stuttered breath. "General, I mean, S-Sire! I did not notice you. I apologize."

He ignores the burn of Zeldris' warning look and turns to face Gelda again, inwardly relieved that she's mostly presentable. It makes it easier to grin wickedly into her cowering visage. "I don't mind you calling me General. You seem pretty attached to it."

She swallows and looks down, voicing a shaky. "Thank you."

"Gelda, Meliodas and I need to discuss something outside for a moment. There was a meeting I was to go to this morning and I missed it," Zeldris slides in impatiently already heading towards the exit.

But Gelda bites her lower lip in distress. "I made you late…"

Meliodas knows he's trampling on Zeldris' last nerve by putting their talk on hold for the moment, but he simply can't pass up the moment to tease the vampire as a dark light of mischief flickers in his eyes. "Oh I"m more than willing to let it slide. A good morning fuck only comes by every so often, right?"

The shades of pink the blossom across her face leaves him feeling accomplished as he paces past his brother whose eyes give away his wish to strangle the blond. "You just love to put her on edge, don't you?" Zeldris questions once they're safely outside of the room.

A dark chuckle bubbles past his lips briefly. "She must know I'm only teasing her of course."

A scornful noise is thrown harshly from Zeldris. "Yeah, only the way a bastard can."

"She's family. She'll get used to it." His eyes roll carelessly.

Zeldris' eyes harsh like the pull of oblivion suddenly settle on him and he feels the atmosphere shift like the change in air; the silent rage that appear like embers in the fronts of his eyes but rage like hellfire deep within is so recognizable to Meliodas, he instantly stiffens prepared for his lead Commandments' next words. "I have to go after him, brother. He's threatening my family."

Meliodas watches silently as violet seems to pulsate around Zeldris' hands, black flames crackling in and out of existence apparently without the other's notice. "Gelda is afraid of him." He laughs bitterly for a slow moment before baring his teeth in a snarl. "She's not even afraid of _you."_

The idea of such a thing is insulting, but clearly true from Zeldris' reaction. What could Estarossa do to make her fear him that she wouldn't expect from Meliodas? "Before you go heedlessly clashing swords you need to figure out what he could do to make her fear him that I apparently haven't. When you bring me solid evidence, I'll let you do as you please."

"But, Meliodas—" Zeldris hisses through clenched teeth.

Meliodas eyes are harsh and unyielding beneath the edge of his bangs. "That is an—"

"Your Highness!" The clanks of armor echoing against the stone headed in their direction force him to halt in his command and turn to face the oncoming guard, feeling just a few notches short of driving a wedge through the next person that says the wrong thing. "We received an important message for you at the gates. Said it had to be delivered to you immediately."

The rolled up parchment falls into his gloved palm a moment later and upon seeing the goddess seal closing it, his chest strains so tight he can't afford another breath. Quickly breaking the seal then unraveling it as the guard scurries off, most likely sensing the King's sudden change in mood, Meliodas begins reading with haste.

 _King Meliodas,_

 _Elizabeth grudgingly admitted to being in pain this morning and while that can be normal, the amount plaguing her seems… worrying. We are in your home on Britannia. You should come swiftly._

 _—Margaret_

Three sentences. Three sentences is all it takes to flip his world upside down, cause all the color to drain from his skin, and force his hearts to slow dangerously, then hastened until he becomes dizzy in panic. Three sentences and it's as if someone put a knife to his throat, cutting off his airways in a single slit. 32 words and he's dashing off, a fading black streak, forgetting to give the command that would hold Zeldris at bay.

* * *

By the way, if you want an actual detailed description on how the love making scene with Meliodas being tied up goes, go check out Lickitysplit's Forever Bound. She does an incredible job with it.


End file.
